Versteeg is an idiot. He makes $4.4M per year for being super mediocre because of a lot of the decisions Bettman made. His comments along with White's are how you know the players are just flat out idiots and have no business being involved in a financial discussion. Fehr is doing his best to brainwash them that there is some evil going on.

The players need to stop talking to media b/c every time they do, they show how unfit for these conversations they are.

bhaw wrote:Versteeg is an idiot. He makes $4.4M per year for being super mediocre because of a lot of the decisions Bettman made. His comments along with White's are how you know the players are just flat out idiots and have no business being involved in a financial discussion. Fehr is doing his best to brainwash them that there is some evil going on.

The players need to stop talking to media b/c every time they do, they show how unfit for these conversations they are.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

If both sides could step back and take a look at each other they might make some head way. But as long as idoits speak their minds you are going to hear things like this, no wonder why Bettman has a gag order on the owners, imagine the banter you would get from them.

Player and owners, one can survive without the other. Just get it done. Well actually the owners can survive they have millions from thingas other than hockey....

Things will continue to go nowhere until the NHLPA actually comes to the table with something. And by "something" i mean a proposal more than a page long and not just being verbal where the head of the PA says, "I haven't run the numbers on the proposal."

mikememfis wrote:The ill will the owners have created amongst the players by their stance in this lockout will never go away. Now try signing your key guys for less based on loyalty, when the owners try to pull these kinds of stunts. Nothing good comes of this

That's something I never thought of. With the animosity between the league and the players, you can pretty well say goodbye to anyone taking a "home town discount". And, if the players are as worried about what happens when the next CBA expires as a few sources have said, then you can expect them to try to milk every last cent possible out of the contracts before then.

Yeah, then the MLB, NFL and NBA would have the same issues - its not like they were all buddy buddy. Not saying the owners are not to blame or the NHL hasnt handled themselves perfectly. But some of the backlash is strictly based on the fact its not the NFL, MLB or NBA who 2 of the 3 got worse deals than the NHL is proposing, one of which is a monster revenue machine.

bhaw wrote:Versteeg is an idiot. He makes $4.4M per year for being super mediocre because of a lot of the decisions Bettman made. His comments along with White's are how you know the players are just flat out idiots and have no business being involved in a financial discussion. Fehr is doing his best to brainwash them that there is some evil going on.

The players need to stop talking to media b/c every time they do, they show how unfit for these conversations they are.

I dont disagree that versteeg is an idiot, but i don see how a player who benefits from bettman's ineptitude is an idiot because they call the guy out for being inept. They seem to have first hand experience.

Now i would just assume Gary gets his directives from the owners and then maybe he is given the freedom about how to get them what they want.

Gary just doesn't decide to try and get "this" even though the owners don't want that. I am sure that the GM and owners meetings in Florida give Gary a clear cut "needs list" from the owners.

It is totally possible for Gary to walk out of a meeting and say we got a new CBA, then take it to the owners and the owners don't approve it he has to go back and get something different.

The players and fans who think this lockout is just on Gary (one person) are just plain wrong.

ANd this lockout was going to happen anyway you look at it, when you got all the time in the world to do something, it usually won't get done until the pressure of a dealine looms over it. Even if Fehr came to Gary a year ago they would of never put down meaningful proposals until time is of the essence.

Sarcastic wrote:I agree with a lot ot points the writer makes, but he somehow took the opposite conclusion that I did. He should have praised the owners for sticking to their guns and trying to make the league better. Not cave in to the terrorist.

I'd argue that the current players are making the game better, not the owners. The players are the ones playing the games, scoring the goals, making the highlight reel, playing in the shootout...

To add, the players are the ones playing the game. Fans pay to see the players, not the owner(s)

We're talking about different things. I meant that owners want to improve the league now. I don't think this is a grab for money on their part. This league can't survive if so many teams lose money. This league will be better if teams aren't able to cheat on contracts that take a dive toward the end. This is all for the game, for us, for the players. Players seem to only want to increase their wallet - to hell with a fair game, to hell with franchises that are going under. Fehr must really have them convinced that owners are sitting on a ton of money, hidden somewhere in their closets. Just the fact that they want to get paid for this full season, even if they end up playing half, makes it very clear that they're in the wrong and that they are the problem.

bhaw wrote:Versteeg is an idiot. He makes $4.4M per year for being super mediocre because of a lot of the decisions Bettman made. His comments along with White's are how you know the players are just flat out idiots and have no business being involved in a financial discussion. Fehr is doing his best to brainwash them that there is some evil going on.

The players need to stop talking to media b/c every time they do, they show how unfit for these conversations they are.

I dont disagree that versteeg is an idiot, but i don see how a player who benefits from bettman's ineptitude is an idiot because they call the guy out for being inept. They seem to have first hand experience.

no name wrote:The players and fans who think this lockout is just on Gary (one person) are just plain wrong.

I think Bettman gets too much flak in general. I was going to expand on it a little, but luckily (for me) I don't have to. I was clicking on links and came across this one. From a guy who doesn't even sound like he's fully on the side of the owners/Bettman. Yet, even he's able to recognize that Bettman has done quiet a good job over the years.

now is this IDGAF about whether the season gets saved or not, or I(won't)GAF about hockey when it comes back? i think more people are trending towards the former, but still very very few towards the latter.